Mr Lang’at was apprehended in Nairobi at around 11.30am, driven to Embakasi Police Station and later to Bomet, some 230 kilometres away.
This followed a 12-hour standoff with officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations who had camped outside his house in Nyayo Embakasi since Sunday evening.
The senator was freed from Bomet Police Station after being questioned for about an hour on allegations of administering an oath on 200 youths to fight in Narok North.
He was interrogated by County Criminal Investigations Officer Johnstone Kola as local leaders camped at the station.
“Senator Langat has been accused of administering the oath on August 12 this year at Amalo River along the Bomet-Narok border to engage in tribal skirmishes at Olposimoru,” lawyer Nelson Havi, President of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), told journalists outside the station.
“We have demonstrated clearly to the police that on that date, the senator was in the Senate the whole day and did not venture out of Nairobi. He did not commit the alleged offence.”
Mr Havi noted that police were “very cordial and did not harass us in any manner as we drove from Nairobi and during the interview”.
Chaos
Tension was high in Bomet town as the senator was driven into the local police station for the interrogation at about 4.20pm.
Police engaged members of the public in running battles after roadblocks were erected and tyres burned in a day of chaos.
They lobbed teargas canisters at the demonstrators who hurled stones at them in retaliation.
At the police station, emotions ran high, with Dr Lang’at’s children and other family members weeping and hugging him moments after he alighted from the police vehicle.
“Please give us time to talk to the senator in the presence of his lawyers. Anyone else should step out of this office,” Mr Kola told leaders who had gathered at the station.
Youth leader Bildad Cheruiyot said, “We have come to defend the rights of Senator Lang’at who is set to face trumped-up charges in a bid to have him change his mind on the revenue allocation row at the Senate. We want more resources devolved.”
Mr Lang’at, Cleophas Malala (Kakamega, deputy minority leader) and Steve Lelegwe (Samburu) were separately arrested in Nairobi and Kajiado counties but the reasons initially remained unclear.
The three are opposed to the government-backed revenue-sharing formula, which if passed will cause 19 counties to get less money compared to shares received in 2019/2020.
“Wild allegations”
Dr Lang’at said the allegations raised against him were “wild and far-fetched, and could not have been committed by a peace-loving and God fearing person like myself”.
“It has been a trying and traumatising moment but I am happy to be free at last,” he said in a brief speech.
He and the local leaders marched to the Bomet central business district, where he addressed members of the public.
Governor Hillary Barchok, Deputy Governor Shadrack Rotich, assembly majority leader Josphat Kirui and members of Parliament Florence Bore (Kericho Woman Representative), Ronald Tonui (Bomet Central), Brighton Yegon (Konoin) and Beatrice Kones (Bomet East) were present.
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